Ashinbattle: A Pokémärchen Tale
by ShinyAeon
Summary: The story of a poor widow's son, his magical Pikachu...blah blah blah fairytalecakes.


_The name of the German Cinderella tale is Aschenputtel; that was the entire basis of this story. You have been warned. _

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Ashinbattle

_A Pokémärchen Tale _

collected by ShinyAeon

Once upon a time there was a boy from the town of Pallet, who lived all alone with his widowed mother in a plain little cottage. They were poor and had little, but were happy because they loved each other very much.

The widow's cottage stood beside a great hill, atop of which was the house of the great Professor Oak. One day the Professor went down the hill and saw the widow in her garden, and straightaway fell in love and married her. He brought her and her son to live with him on top of the hill and loved them as much as any husband and father could.

Now the Professor had a grandson who was much the same age as his new wife's son, but he was a jealous and competitive sort. When the Professor and his wife were away, he would taunt the boy and and make him do all the housework. And because he was always pushing the other boy down in the ashes, he called him Ashen-butt. But in time, as these things go, he shortened it to merely Ash.

Now, Ash was too proud to admit to his mother and stepfather that his stepbrother (for so he thought of him, as they were that close in age) treated him harshly; Ash simply did the housework and kept to himself.

One day as young Ash swept up the Professor's lab, he came across a Pokéball that had rolled under a table. And as Ash lifted it it popped open, and a Pikachu appeared.

Now a Pikachu is a kind of electric mouse, and Ash had been told by his stepbrother to rid the house of mice; but being a kindhearted boy, he saw how thin the Pikachu was.

Ash said, "Well, you are hungry, like me, so I will feed you. I have only a crust of bread for breakfast, but it is yours."

And the Pikachu said, "Because you are so kind, Ash, I will be your friend and help you, and I will do it for only HALF your breakfast."

Ash, who listened with his heart, understood every word the Pikachu said. He broke his crust in half and gave one to the magical creature, and the Pikachu ate it up; then the electric mouse sat up and shouted its name, and a hundred little Pokémon came and quick as a flash, cleaned the entire house.

And from then on Ash and the Pikachu were friends, and each day they would share breakfast; then all the Pokémon would do the housework in a trice, and Ash and all of them would play together happily, and then Ash would share his dinner with the Pikachu as well. Ash was as happy as a boy could be, the Pikachu grew fat and sleek, and the stepbrother never was the wiser.

One day, great news came to town: the youngest of the Cerulean Sisters was coming of age, and her elder sisters were throwing a festival for all the eligible young men of the country to bring their Pokémon and battle for her favor. All the boys in the land were very excited.

Ash's stepbrother planned to go, and dressed in his finest clothes and put his finest Pokémon in his pocket. Ash wished to go as well. But the stepbrother said, "You have no clothes fit for a festival," and it was true, for Ash's clothes had all been worn threadbare through housework and hard play, "and anyway, you have no Pokémon to battle for you." Ash agreed, for he thought of Pikachu and the others as friends, not as his to command. So Ash sighed and slept, dreaming of adventures he thought he would never see.

The next morning, Ash let Pikachu out of the Pokéball and gave it his entire breakfast. The Pikachu ate its usual half-crust and asked "Ash, don't you want your portion?" And Ash said, "No, I have a longing even greater than hunger. I want more than anything to go to the festival at Cerulean, but I have nothing to wear, and no Pokémon to battle, so I have no taste for breakfast."

And Pikachu said, "Is that all? Well, then, I can help you. Go to the last shelf and bring me the three Pokéballs you find there."

And Ash did as Pikachu asked and brought the three Pokéballs.

The Pikachu tapped the first Pokéball, and out popped a Caterpie, who straightaway spun a glorious suit of silken clothes for young Ash.

And Pikachu tapped the second Pokéball, and out popped a Vulpix, who shed some fur from its lovely red tails, breathed fire and melted them together, and made a pair of sturdy soft shoes for Ash to put on his feet. They were as soft as the fur on the Vulpix's ears on top and inside, but on the bottom they were strong as Rhyhorn-hide, and fit Ash as if his feet had been poured into them.

And Pikachu tapped the third Pokéball, and out came a fiery Ponyta. And Pikachu lept upon Ash's shoulder and said "Mount, Ash, and ride to Cerulean! But mind you we must be home before Noon, for Caterpie silk does not last all that long, and the Pokémon must be back here by lunchtime or they won't get fed."

And Ash lept upon the Ponyta and rode to Cerulean. There he found the festival in full swing, and Ash's stepbrother was leading the battlers. The stepbrother sat beside the youngest of the Cerulean Sisters at her table, and looked fine and proud there indeed.

And presently the eldest sister, whose hair was golden as a Sunflora's petals, rose and said, "If there are no more challengers for my sister's favor, then this young man will be her champion for the day."

But Ash stood and said, "I will challenge him."

And the stepbrother did not recognize Ash, for he looked so different in the fine silken clothes. And he sent out an Eevee, and Ash sent out the Caterpie, who made the Eevee and its trainer nearly fall over with laughing. But the Caterpie surprised the Eevee while it laughed, and wrapped it up in silk and won the battle.

But the Pikachu realized it was nearly noon, and lept off Ash's shoulder and ran away in the crowd. And Ash went to catch it but as soon as they were on the road Pikachu had Ash call forth the Ponyta and ride for Pallet Town.

Halfway there, the Ponyta, who had ridden far to get there, grew tired and had to go back inside its Pokéball, and Ash and Pikachu had to run the rest of the way home. No sooner had he reached the kitchen when his fine clothes dissolved, leaving him in only his ragged old ones. Ash hid his Vulpix-fur shoes behind the door and put the Pokéballs back in their places, just in time for the Pokémon to get their lunches.

And the next morning Ash let Pikachu out of the Pokéball and gave it his entire breakfast, as before. And the Pikachu knew Ash wanted to go to the festival again, and so it had Ash bring the three Pokéballs. And once again the Caterpie made Ash a suit of clothes and the Vulpix fetched the shoes from behind the door and the Ponyta emerged to bear them to the festival.

And Pikachu lept upon Ash's shoulder and said "Mount, Ash, and ride to Cerulean! But mind you we must be home before Noon." And Ash lept upon the Ponyta and they were off.

And once more Ash's stepbrother had won all the battles that morning, and the second-eldest Cerulean sister, whose hair was the blue of a Taillow's wing, rose and said, "If there are no more challengers for my sister's favor, then this young man will be her champion for the day."

But Ash stood and said, "I will challenge him."

And the stepbrother sent out a Fearrow, and Ash set out the Vulpix. And the Fearrow and the Vulpix battled, but the Vulpix remembered how hard Ash had run to get it home in time for lunch, and so fought just a little bit harder for him; and Vulpix won the battle.

But once again it was nearly Noon, and Pikachu leaped off Ash's shoulder and ran. And once more when they were in the forest they called out the Ponyta and rode for Pallet Town; but this time the Ponyta, having run far two days in a row, only made it one-third of the way back; Ash and Pikachu ran as hard as they could. This time Ash's clothes dissolved as soon as he reached the foot of the hill, and he got the Pokéballs back in their places scarcely a breath before the Pokémon's lunch was served.

And the next morning Ash let the Pikachu out of the Pokéball and gave it his entire breakfast, as before. And Pikachu knew Ash still longed to go to the festival, and so all was done as before. And once more Ash's stepbrother had won all the battles at the festival that morning, and the third eldest Cerulean sister, whose hair was as red as a Vulpix's coat, rose and said, "If there are no more challengers for my sister's favor, then this young man will be her champion for the day."

But Ash stood and said, "I will challenge him."

And this time the stepbrother sent out a Dodrio, and Ash set out the Ponyta. And the Ponyta and the Dodrio battled fiercely, but the Ponyta remembered how hard Ash had run to get it home in time for lunch two days in a row, and when its strength was nearly gone it evolved to a Rapidash, and won the battle for him.

But then the youngest Cerulean sister, whose hair was the color of a Charizard's flames, stood and said, "You, who have won the festival for three days but have not stayed to receive my favor, I challenge you to a battle!"

And Ash and Pikachu had nothing to do but to stay. And the Cerulean sister sent out a Starmie, and Ash sent out Pikachu, and the battle was long but Pikachu won. But by then it was Noon when Pikachu darted from the festival and Ash followed, and his fine clothes dissolved as soon as he reached the road, leaving him in his ragged old ones; and the Rapidash was worn out from its battle and could not be ridden at all.

Although Pikachu and Ash ran like the wind, they did not make it back in time and the Rapidash, Caterpie, and Vulpix missed their lunches. And so Ash had to give them his dinner, for he could not bear to see them go hungry; but he and Pikachu slept with empty stomachs that kept them awake all night.

But the youngest Cerulean sister was a clever girl; she had not only challenged Ash to a battle to delay him, she had asked her Pollywag to wet down the road outside Cerulean with its water-gun. And one of Ash's Vulpix-fur shoes had become stuck in the mud, and he had to run off without it.

And so the next day the Cerulean Sisters went from town to town searching for the boy with the Pikachu who dropped the shoe. And at last they came to the great Professor's house and asked to speak with all the boys who lived there. And they spoke to the stepbrother, but the shoe did not fit his foot, and the youngest Sister knew he was not the boy with the Pikachu. And they asked him if there were any other boys in the house, and he said, "Only Ashenbutt, but all he does is clean the house and sit on his butt in the ashes."

But the eldest Cerulean sister said "Nevertheless, he must come try the shoe, or our youngest sister will not be satisfied with the search." And the stepbrother said, "Sure, why not? Hey, Ash!"

And Ash (who had not slept, and was now sneaking a nap in the kitchen) was found and made to wake up. And they put the shoe on his foot and saw that it fit as if it were made for him, and the youngest sister stepped before him and said, "How could you be so rude as to run off without letting me give you my favor?!"

And Ash was so sleepy that he said, "I'm sorry, but I had to get the Pokémon home for lunch, and seeing my friends fed is more important to me than any dumb girl's favor."

And the youngest sister rapped him smartly on the head with her heavy sceptre. But then, she smiled and kissed him, for she loved Pokémon as much as he did; and Ash blushed as red as his shoe.

And then Pikachu popped out from behind the door with the other shoe, and all knew Ash for the Cerulean sister's champion. And even Ash's stepbrother was amazed at how well he had battled, and apologized for mocking him, and that day they became the best of friends. He henceforth stopped calling him _Ashen-butt_, and began to call him _Ash-in-battle_, for in battle he was always the best in the land, and it is that name by which he is known to this very day.

And as Ashinbattle and the youngest Cerulean sister rode back to Cerulean with Pikachu sitting proudly on the Rapidash's head before them, three bedraggled and hungry thieves saw them passing, and thought that their boss would surely be pleased with them if they could steal him so fine a Pikachu...

...but that's another story.


End file.
